The $1.5 billion Parker Solar Probe needed a ton of speed to escape Earth's orbit, hence the total of three rocket stages that fired during the launch. That will carry it to the neighborhood of Venus in just six weeks, arriving by late September.
On Sept. 28, the spacecraft will need to pull off a careful maneuver designed to gently slow it down and begin its calculated dance with the sun. That maneuver, called a gravity assist, will pass a little of the spacecraft's acceleration to the planet and edge the probe a little closer to the sun.
The Parker Solar Probe will then begin its first of 24 orbits around the sun, with its first close approach, or perihelion, coming on Nov. 1.
Each orbit will be petal-shaped, skimming over the sun closely and then flying out farther into space to close out the orbit. The bulk of the probe's science work will come when it is within a quarter of the distance between Earth and the sun — although the team is hoping that the instruments can be turned on for as much of the mission as possible. @nasa @nasajohnson @explorenasa @parkersolarprobe_nasa @nasaastromaterials #space #journey #sun #venus #speed #boost